Stewed cherry | Burnt caramel | Charred oak | Dark brown sugar | Toasted allspice

Marmalade | Peanut | Brown sugar | Cream soda | Charred oak

Bitter oak tannins | Chestnut | Black tea | Toasted pecan | Wild black cherry

Seelbach’s is expanding their Private Reserve line after the rollout of their “Wheated” Bourbon with “Classic” Straight Bourbon. Sourced from Green River Distilling and featuring an impressive 7 year, 8 month age statement, it goes to show relationships matter. Green River only just recently offered their oldest bourbon to date, an 8 year, 6 month old Green River Distillery Select: Toasted Double Oak Bourbon (Batch 001). So for a third party like Seelbach’s to offer such a high-aged Green River product before the company itself rolled out a wide release of a similarly aged product is impressive.

It’s been fascinating to taste Green River Bourbon as it continues to age. Though there are some core flavor notes that carry through - namely its brown sugar note - the bourbon has gone from overly sweet at a younger age, to spicy around the midpoint, to oaky and slightly bitter as it hits the 7 year mark. That is true with Seelbach’s Private Reserve “Classic” as it sheds much of the brand’s spiciness over the past few years, leans a bit more sweet, but goes heavy with oak tannins.

Though more companies than you probably expect utilize a “slow-proof” method to proof down their whiskey before bottling, few openly discuss or market it. The team at Seelbach’s took their time adding water directly into the barrel to slowly dilute the bourbon inside the barrel before dumping. In theory, this allowed the water to marry with the bourbon over time rather than adding water all at once after dumping, which can cause undesirable chemical compound interactions, ultimately making the bourbon sweeter and smoother. We detailed this method in our Redemption Sur Lee Straight Rye review.

Perhaps Seelbach’s used a slower proof-down method than Green River does, and this is why the resulting bourbon has less in common with standard Green River bourbon than usual. It starts with the aroma. Stewed cherry, burnt caramel, charred oak, and toasted allspice aren’t typical Green River scents. Likewise, the palate features marmalade and peanut, and the finish features a hefty amount of bitter oak tannins, black tea, toasted-almost burnt pecan, and not-so-sweet wild black cherry.

I have to give it up to the Seelbach’s team for offering something that is decidedly not like the same product the sourced-from company offers. Seelbach’s Private Reserve “Classic” is its own product. Though I don’t necessarily agree with the “Classic” moniker here, there are enough traditional notes of caramel, vanilla, and oak present to probably fit that bill.

Given that other not-as-high-aged Green River is going for near double Seelbach’s Private Reserve “Classic” asking price, it is also a big selling point here. But you’ll also have to contend with a higher amount of tannins than some will be comfortable with, and that gets in the way of the greater good that this release is trying to achieve. As a result, it is far from your typical run-of-the-mill bourbon for its $40 price tag, but that also means the bourbon you’re getting isn’t your typical run-of-the-mill bourbon either and may be more challenging than you’re used to at this price point.